Metallic box.



W. I. TUTTLE. METALLIC BOX. APPLICATION FILED AUG. 16, 1909.

1,080,1 79, Patented Da e. 2, 1913.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

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athenzwo W. I. TUTTLIEL. METALLIC BOX. APPLICATION FILED AU'G. 16,1909.

Patented Dec. 2, 1913.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

anua'ntoz washingv on I. Effie witmea flttunu g COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH Co, WASHINGTON, D. c.

UlTED STAT ES PATENT UFFI (1E.

WASHINGTON I. TUTTLE, OF BALTIMORE, MARYLAND, ASSIGNOR TO THE AMERICAN 4 TOBACCO COMPANY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

METALLIC BOX.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 2, 1913.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WASHINGTON I. TUTTLE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Baltimore, in the State of Maryland, have invented new and useful Improvements in Metallic Boxes, (Case A,) of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to boxes, my more particular purpose being to produce an improved metallic box having a body portion and a lid hinged'thereto, and a catch for normally maintaining the lid closed, the parts being so formed and arranged that I when the lid is closed and the body portion of the box is subjected to pressure by hand the catch releases the lid and the lid springs open.

Briefly stated I provide a body portion having front and back edges and also having sides extending considerably above the front and back edges thus forming what might be termed a pair of horns. The lid of the box is .curved and is hinged to the rear of the body portion of the box so that when the lid is closed it laps over the horns. The front of the edge of the lid and the front wall of the box are provided with projections together forming a catch for securing the lid in closed position. Pressure being applied by hand to the body portion of the box the lid springs open by reason of the extension of the horns above the line of the hinge, the rear wall of the horns pressing upon the lid above the hinge and throwing it open.

To these and other ends, the nature of which will be readily understood as the invention is hereinafter disclosed, said invention consists in the improved construction and combination of parts hereinafter fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and particularly pointed out in the appended claim.

In the accompanying drawings, in which similar reference characters indicate similar parts in each of the views, Figure 1 is a plan view of the blank used to form the body portion. Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the box constructed in accordance with my invention and showing the lid open andin position to receive the contents, a wrapper beingshown in position in the lid. Fig. 3 is a vertical cross-sectional view through the box with the lid closed. Fig. 4 is a vertical crosssectional view taken on the line 4-4 of Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is a horizontal sectional view taken on the line 5+5 of Fig. 4:. Fig. 6 is a rear elevation of the box. Fig. 7 is a sectional view taken on the line 77 of Fig. 6. Fig. 8 is a detail sectional view taken on the line 88 of Fig. 2.

The box herein shown and described comprises a body portion A having a bottom B and a lid. The body portion A is formed of a blank having approximately the configuration shown in Fig. 1 of the drawing. The blank is bent into the general form shown in Fig. 2, the opposite ends a of the blank being connected together in any suitable manner, as by a bead a to provide a seam extending along one of the vertical ends of the box, the opposite end being seamless and formed by the portion'shown at the vertical center in Fig. 1. As shown in Fig. 1, said central portion has an edge a curved in the direction of its length, said edge a forming a projecting end at the top of the seamless end of the body portion, the opposite end of said body portion being provided with a portion a at the opposite side edges of the blank.

In forming the body portion of the box the edges a 0, are curved and give the form of horns of which there are two, disposed at opposite edges of the body portion. Those port-ions of the blank intermediate the horn portions a a constitute the front and rear of the body of the box. The upper edge of the body portion of the box is formed with a plurality of tongues a spaced one from the other, said tongues being adapted to be folded over a rod a which serves to secure the lid to the body portion. The front portion of the box is provided with a projecting portion a at its upper edge, said projecting portion being folded over to provide a central lip a which serves as a catch for the lid when the latter is in its closed position.

The bottom B is provided with a peripheral groove 6 within which the lower edge of the body portion is adapted to be secured, the particular manner of securing the bottom to the body portion being somewhat immaterial, any preferred form for producing the result being applicable for use.

The lid C is formed from a blank having its ends projecting and curved to correspond with a horizontal cross-sectional configuration of the body portion when the lid is secured in position on the box. The portion of the lid which is adapted to form the pivotal connection with the body portion is provided with tongues c which are adapted to embrace the rod a", said tongues being passed around the rod in a direction opposite that in which the tongues a are passed around, thereby retaining the rod in position, the tongues 0 being of a length to fit the spaces between the tongues a.

One or more of the tongues a may be, and preferably are, retained in position slightly spaced from the inner face of the lid when the latter is opened thereby providing a space within which a wrapper 0 such as a cigarette paper, may be passed, the tongue serving to retain one edge of the wrapper in close contact with the lid in order that, in use, there is no liability of the tobacco passing between the wrapper and the lid. The lid is bent to a curve in cross-section corresponding to the general curvature of the horn portions a a the front portion of the lid being preferably cut away at 0 the lid within said cut away portion, being provided with an inwardly extending lip 0 which is adapted to coact with the lip a to retain the box closed.

As will be seen, the horn portions a and a provide projecting ends at the upper edge of the body portion, this edge being substantially curved, and upon which the ends of the lid are adapted to rest, the lid portion, however, at the front and rear of the box providing overlapping portions, the inner face of the lid contacting with the outer face of the body portion at these overlapping points. By reason of this overlapping condition, the lid of the box does not require the use of a spring or similar device for retalnlng the lid closed the llps a and 0 providing a retaining means or to auto-.

matically open it when the catch is removed.

These results are produced through the par- 1 ticular relationship of the overlapping portions and the effect produced thereon by applying pressure to the front and rear of the body portion, taken in connection with the fact that the front of the lid extends downward on the body portion to a distance greater than does the point of hinged conof the horns, (for example, and as shown, a hinge line substantially in the plane of the base of the horns is suitable) the line of the hinge extending across from one horn to the other so that when the lid is closed the rear walls or edges of the horns press against the lid above the hinge and tend to throw it open. This pressure is increased whenever the catch holdsthe lid in closed position.

\Vhen the lid is in its closed position, a slight pressure is placed on the lid at the points designated as 10 in Fig. 7 of the drawings, due to the horizontal sectional curvature of the body portion and the particular curvature of the lid. The effect of the pressure is not made use of until the catch provided by the lips a and 0 are disengaged; This disengagement of the catch is provided by applying pressure to both the front and rear of the body portion, which has the effect of not only releasing the catch but at the same time slightly changes the curvature of the upper end of the horns with the result that the lid is caused to rapidly open upon release of the catch, there being no requirement for a manipulation of the lid by the hand to produce this result.

As will be readily understood, the actual closure formed by the ends of the body portion provides substantially no interengaging or interlocking of parts along the horn portions or and a when the lid is in closed position. In actual practice the provision of an intricate seam or closure at this point is non-essential, since the particular curvatures of the lid and the body portion provide a closure sufiiciently tight to prevent the escape of the contents when the box is closed.

' To use the box for the purpose of making a cigarette, as an example, the lid maybe opened and the box held at an angle which will prevent the contents passing thereout while a cigarette paper or other form of wrapper is placed in position within the lid between the tongues 0, as shown in Fig. 8.

Many other advantages accrue by reason of the particular structure shown, but they will be obvious without recitation herein.

While I have herein shown and described a particular form of box, it is to be understood that variations in such formation may be provided as may be found necessary, I reserving the right to make any and :all such changes and modifications therein as may fall within the spirit and scope of the invention as expressed in the accompanying claims.

l/Vihat I claim is,

A metallic box comprising a body portion provided with horns, the edges of which are curved, projecting from its opposite sides,

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set a catch for holding the box lid closed, and a my hand in presence of two subscribing 10 lid the inner surface of which mates the curved edges of the horns, said being witnesses.

hinged to the body portion well e ow the top of said horns, so that the lid, when closed, WASHINGTON TUTTLE' exerts such tension upon the horns that Witnesses:

M. H. CONNOR,

pressure applied to the body portion of the J. H. KLINGSTINE.

box will cause the lid to spring open.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Iatents,

Washington, D. G. 1 

